background check

[beemer]

Hi everyone,

Please provide me with your honest opinion, believe me you wont hurt my feelings. Here it goes, I have applied for over 15 departments in a 2 year time span. I have made it very far in the process and I have passed and failed background check depending on departments.

Here is goes, I am now 30 years old and I have been a certied master bmw technician for 10 years. Approximately 18 years ago when I was 12 I was arrested for discharging a BB gun into the ground at a friends house. The reason the cops were involved in the case was when I was in another room my other childhood friends shot a lady in the leg with the BB gun which I never knew about. I only found out when the authorities called my home. I was charged with discharging a BB gun, fined, 25 hrs community service and 1 year probation. This is the only trouble with the law I have ever had.

I graduated high school in 2000 and went to an automotive technology school and graduated. I Have worked at 5 different BMW dealers due to increase in income, more work, better opportunity etc...... I was terminated from a BMW dealer in 2007 for "laughing at a co-worker for slipping in an oil drain" and yes this was the exact reason given to me by mgmt. He was not hurt and yes I was immature for laughing but I thought it was funny. In 2009 I started attending a community college full time as well as holding a full time job with BMW. I try keeping it from my employer that I was going to school to change careers. During one of my background investigation an investigator contacted my employer and asked questions about myself in which my job gave a good reference from what I hear. The very next day I was called in the office and said they knew I wanted to become a police officer and there was no reason for them to keep me on board anymore. This is the second time I was terminated from employment. I was immediately offered another job with another BMW dealer but I chose to finish my degree in Law Enforcement which I graduated with a 3.87 gpa. I was out of work for 8 months while attending school. As soon as I graduated from college I started working for BMW again.

Oh yea I forgot another important factor. I purchased my first home in 2003. I sold in 2005 and bought another in 2005 in which I currently reside. In April 2010 when I lost my job I emptied out all of my accounts paying my mortage, school bills, house bills, car payments etc. I am currently under foreclosure with my home but my house is on the market for a short sale. My credit was absolutely flawless up to the point of April 2010 without any negative remarks to it.

Could this be a reason why I did not pass through some of my background checks? Please provide me with your honest opinion. Please if you have experience with background investigations, recruitment, etc please chime in.

thank you again and be safe

[SANE-A30]

I'm not A Leo but I do think your credit plays a big part in your background check. from what I've read by other people posting it seems to be a very very tedious process...much harder then what * I * ever realized. It never hurts to try...atleast you followed and finished a goal that you wanted to achieve. I ( and maybe I'm wrong) for saying this but If having something on your record will affect you getting a job why even allow a person into the program? Are certain offenses forgivable? It just seems like a waste of the applicants time and this has nothing to do with your personal experience I've thought about this for awhile now...like with nursing if we have anything on us we can't even apply for the program maybe b/c we are dealing with people I don't know I don't see very much difference...maybe I'm wrong.

sorry hijacking and rambling...either way you've come to far to give up so keep looking ahead.. good luck!

also for your house have you thought about doing an estate auction with a reserve price? like say you owe X amount of money set your reserve for higher then that....I know someone that just recently did this.

[mobrien316]

Problems with your credit would certainly have a negative impact on any law enforcement applications you submit.

That's about as specific as I can be without seeing the rest of your application.

[retdetsgt]

I was immediately offered another job with another BMW dealer but I chose to finish my degree in Law Enforcement which I graduated with a 3.87 gpa. I was out of work for 8 months while attending school. As soon as I graduated from college I started working for BMW again.

Oh yea I forgot another important factor. I purchased my first home in 2003. I sold in 2005 and bought another in 2005 in which I currently reside. In April 2010 when I lost my job I emptied out all of my accounts paying my mortage, school bills, house bills, car payments etc. I am currently under foreclosure with my home but my house is on the market for a short sale. My credit was absolutely flawless up to the point of April 2010 without any negative remarks to it.

To be honest, if you ran up these bills because you chose to go to college rather than work and pay them, I wouldn't be optimistic. I got a bachelor's and masters working full time as a cop and going to school, it can be done.

[beemer]

Thank you for your replies. The reason I chose schooling over getting a job was because in NJ you must have atleast 60 credits for most departments and I knew that we would be going on a hiring freeze. After achieving a degree i took the alternate route program tests and past them. Afterwards I and a lot of other applicants received letters stating the program would be should down for the next 2 years due to the amount of unemployed cops in NJ. I took a gamble and It didn't pan out. I Knew If I didn't try I would never forgive myself for not trying. If departments decline me for the decision I made then so be it. It was a huge gamble but I knew I wouldn't have tried to do it if i were married with children and now would be the only time I was willing to take that gamble. I sacrificed everything and I was hoping that a department would see that. It is what it is.

thank you again

[mcsap]

The bb gun inciident is NOTHING.

The job hopping is a little concern but the credit issue is the biggest concern.

[G35 Mass]

If I were doing a background on you and the facts are exactly as you portrayed them, my only concern would be your current money issues.

In law enforcement, we're exposed to daily situations to steal money, sell information and otherwise convert to the "dark side" of law enforcement. Money stress it generally the worst stress people are exposed to, and you'll simply be exposed to too many opportunities to fix those issues quickly. Departments are just leery about dangling a carrot in front of your face.

Also, you chose to be unemployed and end up in this financial situation. You were out of work ONLY during school and say you got a job immediately upon graduation. Therefore, you should have been able to sit down and do some math. Mortgage x8, car x8, insurance x8. If you end up in the red, you didn't have enough money to do what you wanted. That shows bad planning. If you took the chance and had enough money for 12 months, but four months after graduation still weren't able to get a job, your situation would be slightly more understandable.

At one point I was working full time, putting myself through my state's part-time academy and taking five college classes. You chose just the college route.

I'm not saying these are guaranteed reasons. If you add up the BB gun incident, two terminations and a current foreclosure, it looks bad overall. While each incident is explainable, only so much should have to be explained until the next applicant is selected who has nothing to explain.

Don't give up. I know people who have had a lot more

If you really want to know, contact the departments and see if they will give you a copy of the BG Investigator's report. I actually highly suggest this. A past employer may be talking trash about you or flat out lying, maybe someone with a similar name has a criminal record, etc.. Find out exactly what the issue is and see if you can correct it.

[beemer]

Thank you for the valuable information. I didn't realize that I even had a possiblility of seeing my background report. The information I provided about my background is exactly as I stated it was. I am a very honest person and I have been told I am too honest. I feel like if I don't tell my investigator everything no matter how small I will be disqualified and my conscious would eat at me. I have spoken with a couple investigators or have completed my background and they said I was not permanently disqualified form any departments. They said I could re-apply the next cycle. Most of them just say there are a few small things on my file. Thats all they would tell me.
The reason I chose to finish school rather than obtain another job was because I had to have my credits in order for me to apply to NJ police academies as an alternate route canidate and to certain police departments. The reason I made this decision was because I had very reliable sources which advise me to do what I needed to do to apply this year because the academies in the state of NJ were shutting down for atleast 1 yr. I am 30 years old and I don't have much time left to apply since the process is so extensive. I realize that I made a poor choice but It was my decision and I wouldn't have forgiven myself If I didn't try.

Believe me, I have sacrificed a lot in my life for this choice. My house-I know it was my choice, my great paying career, and my relationship. I'm not trying to put the blame on anyone else and I know I put myself in this situation but I will get through it.

Thank you again for your thoughts and be safe.

[retdetsgt]

If you really want to know, contact the departments and see if they will give you a copy of the BG Investigator's report.

Here that would be impossible, those records are sealed. About 10 years after I was hired, I needed a copy of my DD-214 and I couldn't find one around the house. I stopped by personnel to see if they would make me a copy of the one in my file. I found that all records pertaining to my application, including forms I had submitted were sealed and unaccessible by state law. I have no doubt of this because I was outraged and insistent enough that the captain of personnel came out to explain the law to me himself.

Hopefully, New Jersey won't be so hard headed about it.